Causality
by karlark
Summary: Rose is kind of sick and tired of everyone finding their soulmates around her. This Kanaya Maryam better hurry her ass up; Rose is kind of falling in love with this stranger she keeps meeting.


Rose frowned down at the name circling her ankle. It read "Kanaya Maryam" in a beautiful, loopy cursive. She lifted her head when the bell on the door jingled. The people walking through the door were revealed to be a pair that looked to be about her age.

The man was shorter than his companion, and seemed to be Hispanic. He had messy, dark, untamable hair and his face was schooled into one of aggravation. She had a feeling that was it's default expression, from the way he was ranting to his friend.

His partner was, as noted previously, taller than him. She was of darker complexion than the man, and her hair was in a pixie cut. Her features were a bit sharp, but her lips were quirked in a pleasant smile that made her seem regal, if a bit sarcastic.

Rose saw them head into one of the rows of shelves and sighed before going back to her book. She was rereading one of the books her mother wrote. It wasn't the greatest book, but it was always slightly interesting to see how her mother wrote, even if she has read the books once or twice before.

She is abruptly shocked from her musings when a loud thud rings out from the back of the library, followed by a louder "FUCK!" She sighs in partial exasperation and partial amusement before standing and making her way to the aisle where both sounds rang out.

It is revealed to be the man and woman she had observed earlier. The woman was standing back and watching the man struggle to but a bunch of books back on the shelf. The man is mumbling a bunch of obscenities to himself, looking up at his companion every few seconds.

"Come on, help me out here, you asshole!" he whisper yells at her. "I don't want to be yelled at by some middle aged woman for disturbing her shitty books!"

This draws a short laugh from the woman. She looks up and meets Rose's eyes, and her own eyes widen. "I wouldn't be so quick to assume. I would, however, try to pick those books up a bit quicker."

The man shoves a middle finger up in her face before deciding it was a bad idea and returning to picking up the books.

"I'm astounded, really, by how many books you knocked over," Rose finally states. "How did you knock all of these books over, if I may ask?"

The man looks up and his eyes widen. "Wait, fuck, are you... the person working right now? I'm so sorry. Fuck, I'm trying to pick them up, but I— my friend— knocked over like, the whole shelf. Haha... Fuck."

She raises an eyebrow at him, noticing how he seemed to deflate at the sight of her. She didn't mention it. "It is alright. I can take care of this, sir. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I don't want to let you do it alone—!"

"Sir, this is my job. I've certainly had to do a lot worse. Calm down." She crossed her arms, looking down at the man crouched on the ground.

"But—" When he tried to argue, his partner tugged him up by his arm.

"Karkat, I think it is time to go. Ms... Rose here probably wants to go back to reading at the front."

Karkat sighed aggressively, tugging his arm away from his partner. "Fuck, fine. I've never met someone so eager to do their job."

Rose smirks at him. "I've never had someone as loud as you in a library, but hey, there is certainly a first time for everything."

"Am I still being loud? Fucking Christ. I'm sorry." It's almost comical how quiet his voice gets. It's as if he only has two settings— almost shouting or talking so low it's practically whispering.

She rolls her eyes and shoos him away. "Calm down. It was a joke. I am absolutely sure there is no one here who cares how loud you are getting."

After exchanging a few more words, Karkat and his partner —who Rose is almost sad she didn't talk to talk to the beautiful woman— begin walking through the library again.

Rose puts the books all back on the shelf before standing up and walking back to her chair behind the counter. She settles down before picking the book up and continuing where she was.

Another thirty minutes pass before anyone enters the store again. She looks up. The person is running right at her.

She barely has a second to shove her bookmark in and toss the book the counter before the person barrels onto her.

"Oof! Hello Roxy." Roxy squeals into her shoulder, and Rose lets out a quiet sigh. "What is it, Roxy? I can't understand you while you're screaming into my shoulder."

Her sister finally lets go of her and then brandishes her arm. "I MET HER, ROSE!" she finally shouts at her, and Rose doesn't even bother telling her to lower her voice. Her eyes widen.

"Did you not bring her with you? Roxy, you must introduce me to her—"

"I absolutely did! Where the hell is— JANEY!" Roxy darts out the library again and Rose waits a minute or two. She's about to get her book out again when Roxy flings open the door, dragging a chubbier girl along with her.

They stop right in front of the counter, and Rose raises an eyebrow at her sister. She's grinning widely. "Alright, sis, this is Jane. Jane Crocker. Janey, this is Rose."

"Uh, hello. I'm terribly sorry for just barging in like this... Roxy didn't tell me we'd be stopping by, and at a library no less. I'm sorry for causing a ruckus—"

"Oh, no, you are not at fault here. And do not worry about being loud. This isn't a particularly quiet—" there's a muffled shout from the back, where she assumes Karkat and Kanaya have migrated to, "—library."

She leans forward, eyes narrowing as she looked right into Jane's eyes. "Do not harm my sister, Ms. Crocker. If you do, we will have a problem. I do not know my soulmate, and if you hurt yours, you will feel my wrath." She smiled thinly before sitting back down.

"Alright!" Roxy exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "That got scary, Rose. Sorry, Janey. But I guess that's our cue to leave, huh, Rose?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "I am planning on going on my lunch soon, yes."

"Ohmigod, we should go, all three of us!" Her sister gasped.

"Ah, no, I would not wish to impose on your time with your soulmate. You are still in your honeymoon phase, Roxy. Enjoy yourselves." _And not to mention,_ she thought, _that Jane looked scared as all hell at the_ _idea_.

She smiled proudly at herself and leaned back. Her sister and her soulmate left after exchanging a few words and Rose sighed. "I just want to read my book," she muttered. "Is that too much to ask for?"

"I apologize for disrupting, but we've finally decided on leaving," the pleasant voice reached her ears. Rose placed a fake smile on her face before standing up and scanning the book the woman had placed on the counter.

"Did you find everything okay, ma'am?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, thank you. And—"

Her partner speaks up. "I'm sorry for fucking up the shelf! I swear I didn't mean to. It was a total accident—"

"I have already reassured you, sir, that it is alright. It has been taken care of," she stated politely. "Is this all you wanted to purchase today?"

"Yes, thank you," Karkat and the woman said in unison. They paid and immediately started bickering again. They bickered all the way out the door, and Rose settled back in her chair with a small smile.

It wasn't until she got home that she realized she never got the woman's name.

Why was she so attached, then?


End file.
